


More Than Just a Game

by LogicalParafox (Solitarysynonym)



Series: Larsadie Ficlet a Week Prompt Challenge [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 21:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4537854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solitarysynonym/pseuds/LogicalParafox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lars and Sadie had always been friends but when he desperately needs her to do him a favor, Lars learns a whole new side to his coworker.</p><p>For SoggyWarmPockets' August Larsadie Ficlet Challenge</p><p>Prompt: In Joking Victim, Sadie tells Steven about a night she spent with Lars after she bought him a videogame. Write what you think happened that night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than Just a Game

“But Sadie it’s the new Army of War game!!”

“Lars if you have time to badger me about some video game why don’t you restock the donut case,” Sadie said calmly, filling out the order form for the next day. She was midway through inventory and well on her way to completing the checklist for the day. 

“But Sa-die it’s ARMY OF WAR and it’s coming out TONIGHT,” Lars protested, hopping up to sit on the counter next to the binder and carelessly knocking her pencil off. 

“Lars I don’t care what game it is I can’t let you skip out early on work. Again,” Sadie replied, fighting not to roll her eyes as she walked around the counter to retrieve her pencil and finish filling out the form. Lars loomed over her, pouting, but he was close enough that she could feel the slight tickle as her arm hair brushed against the fabric of his jeans. 

“Haha why would we need a hundred cases of ,” Lars said in her ear, leaning over her. 

Sadie blushed and quickly erased it. “Well why are you LOOMING over me like that? You’re in the way!” she protested, shoving at his shoulder to get him to give her some space, horrified as she felt her cheeks burning. 

“All right all right!” Lars complained, hopping off the counter and waving her hand away. “And I’m not asking for the day off anyway. The only shop around here that’s selling it at all banned me for no reason and now I’m going to be the only person who hasn’t played it!!” He draped himself sadly over the counter out of arm’s reach. “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to anyone in the history of ever.” 

Sadie glanced over at him, wistfully envying how he could slump on the counter with his feet still on the floor before she got ahold of herself. “Oh come on Lars it’s just a game. Can’t you get it some other way?”

Lars’ head came up and pinned her with such a glare that she took a step back. “It’s not JUST A GAME Sadie it’s ARMY OF WAR and people are probably already lining up but they wouldn’t let me in the front door even if I got in line! It’s so completely unfair!” he cried, gesturing with his arms. His overdramatic display broke her the impressiveness of his glare and Sadie rolled her eyes and went back to the form, double checking her numbers against the tallies of boxes in the back. 

Lars groaned when he realized she was ignoring him, slumping on the counter again. “Just a game… more like the best game of the year… I’d do anything to get it… but they know my face and the last time I wore a disguise they spotted me immediately,” he grumbled into his arms. “And nobody I know would….” He stopped, then lifted his head. “Sadie?”

“Yes Lars?” she responded absently, signing and dating the bottom of the form. She clipped it into its rightful place in the binder before glancing up to find him staring at her. “…Yes? Is there something you need?”

“Would you… I mean… I would really appreciate…” Lars mumbled, his cheeks going pink. 

“Spit it out Lars I don’t have all day,” she said with a sigh, putting the binder back where it belonged and glancing over the shelves to see what needed restocking since Lars was obviously not going to do it. 

“PLEASE WOULD YOU GET THE GAME FOR ME!” he shouted, red from hair to neck with his eyes squeezed shut. 

“Lars we are at WORK,” Sadie said, rather flustered. “And you know I don’t buy games.”

“Not for you for me!!” Lars insisted, following her into the back and trailing along as she snagged the box of eclairs. “If you stood in line they would let you buy the game because you aren’t banned and then you could give it to me and I would have it and I would be so grateful Sadie I want this game so badly!!”

“Lars, that sounds like a lot of work for just a game,” Sadie argued, more out of principle than anything. He was pretty cute when he was begging but her main focus was on her work as she carefully added eclairs to the display. 

“Please Sadie PLEASE!!” Lars cried. 

Sadie turned and almost dropped the box of eclairs when she saw him on his knees, his hands clasped as he leaned forward, eyes wide and sorrowful. “Please will you?” 

Sadie sighed and finished restocking the case. “Where’s this game store?” she asked, breathing deeply and hoping her face would stop blushing soon. 

Lars hopped to his feet triumphantly. “It’s just a few towns over but you’ll have to go soon because the line will get long….”

———

Sadie knocked quietly on Lars’ front door, huddled wearily in her jacket with the bag in one hand. She had been in line for seven hours and though it hadn’t been so bad she was still pretty tired. She jumped with the door flew open to reveal that Lars was practically throwing off sparks he was so energetic. 

“You got it! Sadie you’re AMAZING!!” he cried, grabbing her hand with the bag and pulling her inside. 

“Wait I was going to go home!” Sadie protested as he dragged her along. She had managed to shut the door before he pulled her away but she had never seen him so excited. Lars kept ahold of her hand and soon enough they were in his room. She was touched to see that he had actually cleaned it a little and there was a space cleared around his TV and game console. 

“Sit! Sit!” Lars ordered, ripping the game out of the bag and shredding the plastic wrapped around it with frenzied motions. 

She sat with her back to his bed, grinning a little as Lars put the disc in and plopped down beside her. Sadie wasn’t sure she had ever seen him so giddy with excitement. She blinked when he shoved the second controller into her hands. “Lars I don’t play games!” Sadie cried. 

“No no you have to stay and play!” he demanded. “Look! I even got you a box of those crackers you like!!” Lars dug in one of the piles of laundry and stuff nearby and produced an unopened box of oyster crackers and shoved it at her. 

“Oh! They’re my favorite!” Sadie exclaimed, smiling at him. 

“Now you have to stay! You have got to see these graphics, Sadie. They’ve been working on this game for years and years and it’s better with two players so you just have to be my player 2!” Lars explained without taking a breath, turning on the console and clicking through opening screens feverishly. 

“Um.. You know I don’t play games very much Lars?” Sadie said hesitantly. “I don’t know if you’ll have fun playing it with me…” 

“Of course I will what are you talking about? I always have fun with you, even when you’re making me do boring work,” Lars said. “Oh look the opening scene!!” 

Sadie watched it with him, then quietly opened her box of crackers frowning at the controller and trying to figure out what the buttons were for. “Well of course I have to make you do work when we’re at work Lars,” she said with patient exasperation. “That’s what people do at work.” 

“Yeah yeah,” he said. “Ok look! That’s your character on the screen, you use this to move and this to shoot.” Lars put her hands where they needed to be, pressing and moving her fingers so she could get the hang of the controller. Sadie bit her lip, leaning into him a little as he directed her. 

“Like this?” she asked hesitantly, clicking the bottom button he had said was the trigger. A red and white target on screen exploded when she shot it successfully. 

“Look at you go!! I knew you’d be good at this Player Two,” Lars said gleefully, nudging her in the ribs.    
“Y..yeah… Player two,” Sadie said more quietly, smiling to herself. 

———

“Oooh ooh get that guy! Get him Sadie!” Lars shouted enthusiastically as she leaned forward, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration as she lined up the crosshairs and blew away the target. “YEAH!! PLAYER TWO!!” Lars crowed, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her back and forth eagerly. 

Sadie shook his hands off but she was grinning. “If you’re not careful I’ll get better at this than you!” Her oyster crackers were almost all eaten and the heaviness of her eyes was telling her it was well past four am but she couldn’t bring herself to suggest they stop. 

“Well maybe,” Lars scoffed. “You’re even better than I thought you would be. We’re whooping the other teams.” Lars beamed gloatingly at the screen. 

“That’s what player two is for,” Sadie said warmly. He’d never been this excited about anything she had done and she couldn’t remember being happier. Every time they won he celebrated and sometimes hugged her and even if she didn’t care for the game she loved being his player two. 

“Heck yeah it is!” Lars said happily, draping an arm around her shoulders and leaning against her with a contented sigh. They had won that match and the system was humming as the game searched for a new team for them to face. “Isn’t this just the best game ever?”

Sadie reached up and took his hand, smiling as she leaned her head against his. “It really is.”


End file.
